One of our favorite methods of fundraising is to take something that people are already doing everyday, and figure out a way for a Nonprofit to generate income from this activity. That is why we are loving Goodsearch.com powered by the good folks at Yahoo. Founders Ken Ramberg (founder of JOBTRAK) and JJ Ramberg (an MSNBC anchor and the former Director of Marketing at Cooking.com) realized what a difference we can make in the world if just a fraction of the $8 billion generated annually by search engine advertisers, could be redirected to a good cause chosen by the searchers themselves. Finally someone has recognized that these searchers (like you and me) are the ones driving up the income generated from advertising with every click, so why not put the power of that click back into their hands to be used to do some good?! Founders after our own heart.                                         So how does it work?

• On the Goodsearch homepage, choose from thousands of organizations or add your favorite cause to their list.
• Search the Internet just like you normally would.
• Fifty percent of the revenue generated from advertisers is shared with the charity, school or Nonprofit organization of your choosing.

Mm hmm ..and how much money can you expect to make?

                                                                                                                               And what’s next?   You want every staff member, supporter, friend of the cause, neighbor who searches the Internet nuerotically etc, to make Goodsearch their go-to search engine, take the 5 seconds it takes to choose your particular cause and search the Internet as they normally would. That’s it?  That’s it. Fast, easy and effective. P.S.- A little birdie (from AOL, so maybe I should say a really big birdie) told us that in the coming months, we will see more of this trend than ever before, where Nonprofits will benefit from the real money on the Internet .. advertising. Lets hope so!

Facebook’s 64 million+ users make it a fitting subject for our first review. In this day and age, it is a necessity for Nonprofits to have a presence in this ever expanding social network, since so many of us out there pay incessant attention to our Facebook profiles. With the creation of the Causes application last March, social networking grew a social conscious, allowing 501(c)(3) organizations, or anyone else with their own social cause, to benefit from Facebook’s viral bloodstream. Users can utilize the Causes application to spread the word about their organization, recruit new members and supporters, and receive donations directly to their fundraising campaign. One of the key components of this application is that it allows organizations to leverage the existing contacts of those people that are already connected to the cause, having them act as ambassadors for the organization as they invite their friends to add the Cause to their own page, make a donation and then invite their friends to do the same. This enables a charity to cash in on an idea that Nonprofit professionals have known for years; people give to people. While an individual may not be interested in making a donation when solicited directly by a charity, if asked by a friend to become a supporter of Breast Cancer research in honor of the friend’s mother, they are more likely to open up their heart and wallet.

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Future of Web Applications turned out to be an awesome event, with the best and the brightest web 2.0 has to offer in full force inebriation by the conclusion of conference. For those of us that are sort of new to the ever-expanding world of web applications, I encourage you to attend a conference, a meet up, or any kind of speaking engagement about web technologies that you can find. These are great ways to meet knowledgeable people who are passionate about web applications and social media. Hopefully, the people you meet will not only share a common passion for web applications, but also be interested in using these tools to make the world a better place whether its for wildlife, impoverished peoples, children with disabilities, cancer research, AIDS, or whichever cause hits closest to home. The real impact web applications will have on social causes is yet to be seen. Organizations like ONE and MoveOn are only scratching the surface, but have proven that when we use the web to make a difference in the world, we can do it faster and better.

If you want your initiatives to have a a global impact, the tools used need to have global reach. (If you aren’t aspiring to make your cause a worldwide movement, there are tools to ensure that your next bake sale rocks too.)

Growing up, we were encouraged by our teachers, parents and mentors to help improve our communities and the world at large. Of course, making a positive difference on a global scale can be a daunting task (unless you’re Bono) but in 2008, the widening accessibility and scope of web applications is making it possible for each and every one of us with an internet connection to become our own rock star humanitarian. Regardless of the scale of your organization, Web for a Cause will offer reviews and help on which web apps can broaden the reach of your altruism. In the coming days, we will be sharing with you the ideas and insights of some of the pioneers present at the conference. Hopefully, next year you’ll be able to join us.

Web 2.0 this, mash-up that, new blog here, new social network there. It doesn’t require a business analyst to realize just how much innovation continues to take place on the web, and the extent to which dedicated entrepreneurs are reaping the profits. New web applications spring up everyday promising to help us spend more of our time online for work and play.   With so many new applications and web servics out there, it’s easy to get lost.Fortunately, there are many tools available to social entrepreneurs, charity organizations, and other social causes alike on the web however, the flood of publicity that permeates the webosphere mostly concerns the trendiest start-ups vying for a name, while non-profit tools become obscured and difficult to navigate. Among all the “hot” up and coming web applications, we hope to help you find ones that can really unlock the power of the internet for some of the most important uses of all. With a little help from my friends, We hope WFAC becomes a place to find out about some of the new resources out there that can really help individuals make the world a better place through online collaboration. We’ve been thinking about starting this blog for a couple of weeks with the upcoming Future of Web Applications 2008 conference we’ll be attending, this seemed like the perfect time to get started. Surely some of the successful and savvy geeks at this event will shed some light on web applications that spread the love.